Jeez, where to start.

 I haven’t posted one of these progress reports in a while. Why? Because I’ve been writing so damn much…

Chapter 10 and 11 are done and dusted. Actually, they’ve been done for a couple of weeks now and I’m currently hard at work on Chapter 12, which is proving to be the most difficult to write chapter yet. I’ll speak on that later, when the chapter is done, and instead I’ll just let you know that Chapter 10 & 11 were a blast to write and came quickly. I probably spent less than half the amount of time writing them combined than I’ve spent on Chapter 12 so far.

 Why so fast?

Simply put, they wrote themselves. Chapter 10 was interesting for me because I was able to explore a part of Ireland I’m very familar with (and rather fond of), but through the eyes of a character that is very much aware that there’s a whole other world existing just beneath the surface. The whole chapter leads towards a violent confrontation between Rowan and a faerie creature with rather nefarious intentions. It was an interesting challenge for me to write such a dark chapter in a setting that I have nothing but fond memories of.

 Chapter 11 was fun for a totally different reason. Rowan once again steps away from our world back into the world of Faerie and it’s always a pleasure to explore it with her. I’m not a hugely descriptive writer, I tend to believe that the characters should tell the story and the readers deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to imagining the world it takes place in. Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t use description (as you all know from reading the excerpt!) and this chapter was one that really allowed me to test my abilities to paint a picture in the mind of the readers. Rowan travels into a weird world and I hope that everyone reading the novel feels like they’re right there alongside her.

 One thing I made a conscious decision about before I started writing Through Bended Grass was that, despite drawing heavily from the history and lore of our world, that I wouldn’t let myself be tied down by that same lore. I want room to wriggle around in what’s already been established and give it my own spin, to make my mark on the lore without taking any self agrandizing liberties. It’s certainly a fine line to walk, but also a fun one.

As a bit of an aside, I think Chapter 10 would make a good excerpt, giving readers a taste of what the story’s like later on in the novel without giving away too much. It’s not going to happen right away, but if people really want it, I’ll consider it.

Now, back to Chapter 12, it needs all my attention!